
Camille Sébastian Nachet apprenticed in the shop of Vincent Chevalier 1833-1839.
After his apprenticeship was completed Camille opened a shop in Parisian at rue Boucher 1. He moved four times, ending at rue Serpente 16.
Camille Nachet originally made achromatic objectives for other Paris makers. However, in 1842 he started making microscopes. These were signed Nachet Opticien.


Rue des Grands Augustins 1
Paris.

In 1847 Camille’s son, Jean Alfred joined the firm.
By 1862 the Nachet firm was run entirely by Jean Alfred. They continued to make high-quality microscopes including specialized instruments for chemical analysis and for polarized light microscopy. During this era instruments were first engraved Nachet et Fils.


rue Serpente 16, Paris


17 rue St. Severin. Paris

Albert Nachet joined Jean Alfred in the 1890s. Around that time the firm began engraving their instruments Nachet.


17 rue St Severin
PARIS


17 St. Severin
Paris


17. rue St. Severin
Paris
By the mid 1890s Jean Albert had assumed control of the Nachet firm. The instruments of that era were then engraved Nachet et Fils because Albert was still involved in the firm.


17 Rue St Sélverin
Paris


17 rue St Severin
Paris
During this time the Nachet family collected historical microscopes. Their collection became one of the great historical collections of France. In 1929 Albert published the catalog of the Nachet collection. It was abandoned in the 1960s, but we are fortunate to have a number of instruments from the original collection.

Microscope makers associated with Nachet optical.
In 1830 Georges Oberhaeuser (1798–1868) formed an instrument firm in Paris with Trecourt and Bouquet. After 1835 Oberhaeuser worked alone until forming a partnership with his nephew E. Hartnack (est 1857). Oberhaeuser relinquished control of the firm to Hartnack. Hartnack partnered with Prazmowski. Bézu, Hauser, and Cie took over the Prazmowski firm c1883.
In the late 1890s Alfred and Albert took over the optical houses of Bézu, Hauser and Cie.
See this page by Brian Stevenson for detailed information regarding Bézu, Hauser, and Cie.



9 Rue Rolling, 9
Paris




1, rue Bonaparte
